plutonic

adjective

plu·​ton·​ic plü-ˈtä-nik How to pronounce plutonic (audio)
1
: formed by solidification of magma deep within the earth and crystalline throughout
plutonic rock
2
often capitalized : plutonian

Examples of plutonic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Gravestones can be made from plutonic rocks (after Pluto, the earlier name for Hades), like gabbro and granite; metamorphic rocks, like slate and marble; and sedimentary rocks, like sandstone and limestone. David Bressan, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024 Simon O’Neill unleashed a gleaming, live-steel tenor, and Franz-Josef Selig’s plutonic bass made for an imposing Hunding. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2019 Evolution of an upper crustal plutonic-volcanic plumbing system: Insights from high-precision U-Pb zircon geochronology of the intracaldera tuff and intrusions in Silver Creek caldera, Arizona, USA by T. Zhang and others. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 11 Dec. 2010

Word History

Etymology

Latin Pluton-, Pluto

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of plutonic was in 1596

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Cite this Entry

“Plutonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plutonic. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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